kayu's Profile

It might sound condescending, but I suspect that the subtleties of soba are lost on most diners. For $15+, people probably expect more than an austere plate of noodles and a dipping sauce (plus a teapot of soba-yu at the end).

"the inaka soba at Soba Koh is superior anyway"

I adore Soba Koh and think it's probably the best soba restaurant in Manhattan right now, but I must disagree. All three iterations of soba at Matsugen were significantly tastier than any of Soba Koh's offerings.

The lunch prix fixe tends to change from day to day. There are even sometimes things on it which aren't on the regular menu -- e.g. a terrific and super simple starter of rice cooked in chicken broth with green salsa. More or less everything I've had there has been great, so I'd get whatever tickles your fancy on that particular day.

Thanks lovetocook and troutpoint! I am now feeling more reassured now about my oyster feasting possibilities. FYI, I had reached out to Dayboat restaurant, but haven't heard back from them yet...

Anyhow, other than the Raspberry Point store (which is run by the PEI Oyster Co. right?) and Howard's Cove Shellfish (mentioned in Frank Bruni's 2007 article on PEI), are there any other standout oyster farms/harvesters which are you might recommend for bivalve pilgrims looking to pick up oysters at their source?

Thanks also for the Water Prince Corner Shop recommendation. It sounds great -- I'll definitely check it out!

I'm planning a trip on the last weekend of July and would desperately like to gorge on oysters and mussels. However, as I understand it, there are two fishing seasons on PEI: April 30 – June 30, and August 10 – October 10. Source: http://www.fallflavours.ca/media-and-...

What happens between these dates? Are oysters and mussels still readily available at restaurants and seafood suppliers? If so, are they stockpiled (with detrimental consequences for freshness/taste)?

Commodities on 1st and 11th (next door to Momofuku Ko) has a range of decent, if overpriced, fresh organic produce. Other than that and the Tomkins Sq greenmarket, there's also the Essex St Market if you live towards the southern end of East Village.

Biellese's is probably the best guanciale I've bought in a store. It'll cost you somewhere around $18-20 for a jowl, but it keeps really well. Not that it needs to because you'll start putting it in everything.

Do let us know how Rosi's is. I (and probably many other CHers) haven't tried it yet...

I'm gathering the ingredients for a meal from the Noma cookbook. L'Epicerie and its ilk seem the best place to find things like gelatin sheets and lecithin, while Siggi's Skyr is available in stores around town; now I'm looking for a reliable source of fresh herbs in Manhattan.

Among other odd herbs, the cookbook calls for woodruff, wood sorrel, sea buckthorn, chickweed, as well as more commonly seen (but still not typically found at Whole Foods) ones like lovage and nasturtium leaves. My recipe choices will be limited by what herbs I can find, so I'll take what I can get.

I spotted chickweed on the menu at Jimmy's No. 43 last night, so I imagine it can't be too difficult to procure herbs of its kind. My first thought is, of course, the Union Sq Greenmarket. Are there any particular stalls I should look out for, or best days to look? Any suggestions for other markets or stores?

The cauliflower fritters were tasty and packed with garlic, but neither the slices (Sicilian, plain, spinach/artichoke) nor the artichoke satisfied. The latter in particular was somewhat nasty -- bland and overwhelmed with gloopy breadcrumbs. Granted, it may have been sitting out on the counter for too long...

Like others, my main reservations with the pizza lie in the crust. It's far too thick and heavily suffused with oil. It's a shame because the toppings (especially the spinach/artichoke) were enjoyable enough.

I can imagine stopping by for a snack after a night out, but it's not destination pizza -- and certainly not worth queuing an hour for like the excitable guys in front of me had done another night.

I too was disappointed by the accoutrement-less tabletops at Ippudo. The salad was truly wretched, and the grilled salmon and fried chicken perplexingly redundant. Nonetheless the shiromaru and akamaru ramen were two of the most enjoyable bowls of ramen I've had in Manhattan. Even though the noodles were overcooked, the ever so tasty spicy miso/garlic oil combo meant that it still beat off all contenders (Setagaya, Momofuku, Minca, Menkui Tei, Rai Rai Ken).

During this "soft open" week, it looks like they're only keeping lunch hours (11am-4pm). Definitely call before you go: 212-388-0088.

I posted in another thread about Ippudo making its debut next week, but it actually looks like it won't be open to the public until March 31st. It's odd that they'd have a dress rehearsal dinner almost two weeks before it officially opens.

Their launch has been officially slated for early next week. I'm not sure if any announcement has been made, but RSVPs have gone out for the opening. "Ramen king" Shigemi Tawahara is scheduled to be in attendance.

As Clove17402 notes, debate rages on the subject -- but if you believe actor-gourmand Aldo Fabrizi, there are actually two distinct dishes: Matriciana and Amatriciana. The first has neither onions nor tomatoes, while the second is the one above (give or take the guanciale).

Just to put a rumor to rest that keeps popping into my inbox: Dennis Leary is not leaving or closing ~CANTEEN~ anytime soon. The only change is Canteen has closed for breakfast during the week, and Leary is taking a couple days off this first week of January. But as the man himself said, “That's about the only time my restaurant will be dark for the next three years” (which is how long the option is on his lease).

I'm a bit surprised at the degree of dislike felt for Oliveto Cafe. I had lunch there a couple of weekends ago and had a fantastic chickpea (crema di ceci) soup. The flavour of the chickpeas was amazingly intense. In fact, on a chilly night a few days later, I found myself ordering a chickpea soup at Delfina Pizzeria, and it was nowhere near as tasty.

Granted, the mortadella sandwich which followed wasn't great - the bread was bland and spongy, even if the salumi was housemade and the mayonnaise impeccable. However, as I was eating the sandwich, the table behind me starting raving about the chocolate cake... I had to order it, and it was very delicious indeed.

Having just started work downtown, I was delighted to discover Windy's topics on lunch options in the Financial District. Despite Windy's palpable frustration with most of the eating places around here, the topics themselves been tremendously useful resources.

However, I've had problems locating Windy's reports for month seven to month eleven. There's also no mention of any sabbatical in the other topics. Do these exist?